1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to automobile air conditioners and more specifically to a method and system for retrofitting automobile air conditioners to make them less environmentally dangerous.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up until recently, automobile air conditioners were provided with Refrigerant-12, or R-12, as their primary refrigerant. Lubrication for the air conditioner was provided by what may be termed R-12 lubricant. It has been discovered that R-12 is a environmentally dangerous material, because when it is released into the atmosphere, R-12 has deleterious effects on the Earth's ozone layer. A substitute refrigerant, R-134a, has been developed and is being used in modern automobile air conditioners. R-134a requires its own lubricant.
Older automobiles must be retrofit from using R-12 to using R-134a. Previously, retrofitting involved opening the air conditioning system, an otherwise closed system, prior to adding R-134a and its associated lubricant. A mechanical oil injector has typically been employed. This increases the chances of dangerous and toxic chemicals (i.e., R-12 and its lubricant, and R-134a and its lubricant) from spilling and/or leaking into the ambient air.
Conventionally, it has been known to add small amounts of R-134a lubricant to an air conditioner. Typically, aerosol of oil charges are provided which add no more than 2 ounces of R-134a lubricant into an air conditioner. However, the typical automobile air conditioner requires up to 8 ounces of lubricant to be fully charged and functional. Such a 2 ounce charge is only suitable for "topping off" an air conditioner with a reduced level of R-134a or oil, and is not suitable for a complete retrofit of an R-12 system. Moreover, once the lubricant is added, R-134a must also be added in a separate step or steps. Typically, a separate attachment is required to connect the container of R-134a to the air conditioning system. This method is inconvenient and slow.
There is a long-felt need to provide a method and kit for retrofitting an R-12 air conditioner for R-134a in fewer steps than is currently available.